


Tribal Markings

by HyperSpikes



Category: Sonic the Hedgehog (Video Games)
Genre: Friendship, Gen, One-Shot, Sonic World Adventure | Sonic Unleashed, Spiritual, Supernatural - Freeform, Takes place before the final boss
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-20
Updated: 2019-11-20
Packaged: 2021-02-07 23:35:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 647
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21466369
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HyperSpikes/pseuds/HyperSpikes
Summary: Mazurian tribes have a unique way of honoring and protecting heroes and warriors. Sonic Unleashed. Pre-Final Boss. One-Shot.
Comments: 4
Kudos: 60





	Tribal Markings

"There is a darkness inside you."

Sonic jumped at the elder's voice. Had he been dozing off? He shifted where he sat on the green rug as Gwek applied cold, colored paint to his head. It smelled like wet grass and dirt and felt chalky on his fur.

Why was the elder putting paint on his head again? Oh, that's right; he'd saved them from Eggman. He knew he should've run off after making sure everyone was alright. He held back a sigh as he recalled Chip's excitement over the villagers' gifts.

"_C'mon, Sonic! Please? They've got some real tasty-looking food over there! Oh, and that game looks fun! You like to kick things, right? Sonic! Pleeeaaase?"_

After he grabbed a bite with Chip and declined to join one of the traditional Mazuri games the villagers often played, the elder beckoned him inside the large, hollow oak tree near the center of the village and had him sit down. The smell of earthly paint should have warned him of what was to come.

"Darkness?" Sonic asked in response to the elder's statement.

Gwek nodded and pulled his hand back down and away from Sonic's forehead in order to dip his fingers in more paint. It was white and powdery-looking – like watery cake batter that hadn't been mixed up enough.

"Yes," he said in his croaky, old voice. "Kwod said so."

Kwod. The little village boy with the ability to see the supernatural. The boy who threw the rock at Eggman's head. Sonic held back a snicker as he remembered how perfect the aim was.

"He can see Dark Gaia?"

Gwek nodded again. He was painting dangerously close to Sonic's eyes now, and the hedgehog had to refrain from flinching too much lest he mess up the intricate designs the man was creating.

"Yes. He felt your pain. He felt the darkness. But he knows that you are filled with light. We all know it."

Sonic understood that he was affected by Dark Gaia's power every night, but he'd seen what it _truly _did to people. It changed them, not only in appearance but also in spirit. He'd felt it try to take control of him every night, and although it succeeded in turning him into the Werehog, it was never enough to break his mind. The villagers had witnessed his bravery and his selflessness, and for that, he'd gained their respect and even stood as a symbol for peace, light, and hope.

"Kwod asked me to bless and protect you," Gwek continued as he reached down for some blue paint. Upon tracing another symbol upon the hedgehog's head, the elder smiled and washed his fingers off in a nearby cup of water.

"You don't need blue."

Sonic flashed a cheeky smile and shrugged.

"White will protect you," the elder continued. "It is the color of peace, purity, and light. Would you like to see?"

Sonic nodded and Gwek gave him a small mirror before turning away from the hedgehog in order to clean up. Sonic's eyes widened when he saw his reflection. His face and forehead were completely covered in tribal designs, dots, and stripes. The majority of it was in white paint, but something green caught his eye. In the center of his forehead was a small, oddly-familiar shape with a bright green orb under what appeared to be its head. Sonic traced the outline with his eyes and found it had ears, four little limbs, and a tuft of hair at the top.

"What's that?" Sonic asked Gwek as he pointed at the symbol. Gwek glanced once at his forehead before turning back to his work.

"I'm surprised you have not seen his symbol before. He is a universal legend, as far as I know. He is the bringer of light and day. There is a darkness inside you. He will protect you from it."


End file.
